13.07.06
International surfwear company rewards University College Falmouth students

One of the most successful international surfwear companies recently visited Tate St Ives to reward BA(Hons) Textile Design students from University College Falmouth who had participated in a competition to produce a collection of printed textile designs.

Mambo International Surfwear's brief to the students was to produce a collection that demonstrated an understanding of commercial design issues such as designing for a target market, and a particular product brand and season. The brief also encouraged them to explore innovative ways of creating imagery and patterns on cloth that reflected the company's brand, which combines surfing, art, politics, music and humour.

The first prize of £250 was awarded to Ed Forster for innovative designs inspired by the dark side of consumerism in contemporary society. The second prize of £100 was awarded to Sheona Quenby for her designs influenced by nuclear energy and pollution. The third prize of £50 was awarded to Lauren Martin for her designs based on chance encounters.

Senior Lecturer, Dr Simon Clarke, who organised the competition, said: "I congratulate all the students who participated for producing work of quality and imagination. This kind of live brief provides our students with an excellent foundation for their future careers, and we are very grateful to Mambo for offering our students this invaluable opportunity – and to Tate St Ives for allowing us to stage the event in their striking setting, overlooking Porthmeor Beach."

Brian McShane, the Director of Mambo International, Europe commented: "We were delighted with the work that was produced in response to our brief and enjoyed seeing the refreshing ideas that these designers of the future have produced. We had an impressive range of concepts to choose from, all of which strongly conveyed the Mambo brand and demonstrated the versatility that we need in order to produce collections that appeal to both genders. The fact that University College Falmouth Textile Design students have such impressive resources to work with puts them ahead of the pack, and we look forward to working with the College again in the future."

Alex Lambley at Tate St Ives added: "We were delighted to be able to work in partnership with both University College Falmouth and Mambo by providing a venue for the annual UCF/Mambo printed textile design competition. Our roof terrace offered a perfect sunset/surf setting for the judging of the students' design work."

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall, a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through higher education. The CUC is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

For further information about BA(Hons) Textile Design and the College's new MA in Textile Design that launches this autumn, please contact Admissions on 01326 211077 or visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/textiledesign.

For further information please contact Jilly Easterby on 01326 213792 or email jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2 through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). University College Falmouth is a partner in the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

back to top